Bosnian Institute Condemns Politician's 'Struggle for Power' Description of War

The Institute for Research of Genocide Canada (IRGC) has issued a strong condemnation of recent statements by a politician, Ms. Ćudić, regarding the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The institute vehemently rejected her characterization of the war as merely a “struggle for power,” particularly when made in the presence of European Union officials.

According to Dr. Emir Ramić, director of the IRGC, such remarks are deeply irresponsible and immoral. He asserted that the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina constituted a brutal aggression against the sovereign Republic of BiH, involving joint criminal enterprises, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. These offenses, Ramić noted, have been confirmed by numerous international and national court judgments, culminating in the genocide committed against Bosniaks in Srebrenica.

Ramić emphasized that describing the aggression as a “struggle for power” deliberately downplays the severity of the atrocities and obscures the ideological underpinnings of the conflict. He argued that such language supports narratives that aim to equate victims with aggressors, deny aggression and genocide, invalidate international court rulings, and glorify convicted war criminals, thereby distorting historical and judicial truths.

The IRGC director stressed that the aggression was fueled by an ideology of hatred, resulting in the targeting and killing of individuals based on their names, origins, and affiliations. He clarified that genocide, unlike a “struggle for power,” is the systematic annihilation of a people based on their religious, ethnic, or national identity.

The institute views Ms. Ćudić’s statements, reportedly made during an address at Sarajevo’s City Hall, as not only politically base but also historically perilous. These comments, they argue, cause further pain and humiliation to victims and survivors of the aggression and genocide, while simultaneously emboldening those who seek to deny the true nature of these events.

In response, the IRGC has demanded a public apology from Ms. Ćudić to all patriots of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the victims of aggression and genocide, and their families. Dr. Ramić confirmed that the institute, through its International Expert Team, has alerted its extensive network of collaborating organizations, communities, academies, institutes, and universities globally, as well as the Government and Parliament of Canada, about the perceived damaging implications of her remarks concerning the defensive war and the attempts to equalize aggressors and defenders.